'As I Lay Dying' Trailer: James Franco Tries Bringing Life to William Faulkner

James Franco's 'As I Lay Dying' has released its first trailer and it's filled with a ton of old-timey Southern drama and a few familiar faces, including frequent Franco co-star Danny McBride.

Set to premiere as an official selection of this week's Cannes film festival, James Franco's adaptation of 'As I Lay Dying' has released its first official trailer -- and it's looking pretty bleak. Based on the 1930s William Faulkner novel of the same name, the film follows a family as they struggle to honor their dead mother's wishes by burying her in a nearby town. But the plot doesn't appear to be that simple, as indicated by the trailer.

Franco not only directed the film, but he stars in it as well alongside Danny McBride, Tim Blake Nelson, Richard Jenkins, Logan Marshall-Green and Beth Grant. What's great about the cast is seeing actors like McBride and Grant, who are more commonly known for their comedic roles, getting to sink their teeth into something more dramatic. They both have the chops, as anyone familiar with their older work can attest.

We're just not terribly confident in this trailer, which has a cheapness to it thanks to some lackluster editing -- hopefully that's not an indicator of the film's quality. 'As I Lay Dying' doesn't have an official release date as of yet, but perhaps we'll hear more from Cannes later this week.